American Airlines is educating consumers about the company?s mobile offerings via a new multichannel campaign.

The ?Get Mobile. Get Moving? campaign runs through Sept. 27 and gives consumers five opportunities to win prizes per week. Consumers can enter the sweepstakes via email, Facebook, Twitter, on the company?s Web site and through the Instagram app.

?We want to continue to educate our customers about the mobile tools they can use to make their travels easier and more convenient,? said Richard Elieson, managing director of interactive marketing at American Airlines, Fort Worth, TX.

?We know that when they are on-the-go, their mobile devices are their main method of communication, so we have provided them with a convenient way to get their travel info,? he said.

The American Airlines franchise is made up of the American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection airlines that travel to 250 cities in 50 countries.

Snap to win
Over the course of four weeks, American Airlines will post a travel-related question that relates to a specific mobile product each week to consumers through the five channels.

?Travelers are inherently mobile and therefore we have to make sure they  are able to get their information when, where and how they need it,? Mr. Elieson said.

For example, the first week?s question is, ?Where do you want to go?? and reminds consumers that they can book flights on the company?s mobile site.

Consumers can then take a picture to answer the question.

At the end of the contest, one photo submission will win 280,000 AAdvantage Miles.

Each week participants are also entered to win a Nikon digital camera.

In addition to American Airlines? mobile site, the campaign also pushes awareness of the company?s range of apps, notifications and mobile boarding passes.

Jet lagged consumers
American Airline?s campaign reveals that although companies are putting resources into developing mobile tools, consumers have not hooked on to them yet.

By having consumers enter the contest through channels that do not include mobile, it is evidence that consumers might not be as plugged into mobile as companies would hope to believe.

Mobile is a natural fit for travelers who are busy and on the go, but it is also an area that requires companies to tap even further into consumers? preferences, which could include deals and bonus content for consumers.

A recent TravelAdvisor survey found that 84 percent of United States? accommodation companies believe it is important to offer consumers mobile options to book trips with. (see study).

Additionally, an executive from Expedia said earlier this year that 5 percent of users want to book on mobile, showing the impact mobile has caused in the industry but is also proof that mobile travel needs further progress to be tapped into (see story).

?We want to continue to improve and enhance our mobile tools to make them relevant for our customers outside of the just the travel period,? Mr. Elieson said.

?We will look to add features and enhancements that will add value for our customers at any point in their travel planning or interaction with American Airlines,? he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York